So I run a very small gift shop in a town which is mostly financially supported by travelers/tourists. I hand make a lot of my items, and have built the business up from nothing. My friend however stops through when she is in this part of the state. She travels full time in a bus, so she carries all of her goods and such with her. But she only rolls through during major holidays and times when business is at its best. When she stops through she places all of her inventory in front of my place, and attempts to pull my customers in before they even get to my entrance. I don’t want to be greedy, or discouraged her from making and selling souvenirs and whatnot. But I rely on my income from my shop to support me. How should I handle this situation? Should I just let it go and lose 2 weeks of typical income? Or should I ask her to move away from my store front? I’ve spent a significant amount of time landscaping and making it eye catching, and I feel like she is taking advantage of the hard work I’ve done, and attempting to give the impression that it’s her place. I don’t know what to do, honestly.
Honestly, just set up a pop-up/ancillary shop outside of your shop during those weeks, effectively taking a page out of your “friend’s” book. Whether it’s soft drinks/treats or a curated selection of your goods, use that real estate to promote yourself. Your “friend” will just need to move a few yards away. Just my 2 cents
THIS^
Make like she’s joining her friend outside so they can chat while working. Maybe even combine shops so customers don’t realize whose items are whose and buy from both shops.
There are many ways to handle this tactfully and make it a cooperative effort rather than a confrontation.
If it was a cooperative effort, OP would get a percent of her sales, or she’d chip in for rent those months.
There’s nothing cooperative about joining her outside your own business, she needs to get the boot.